This article informs users about Search.hogwarin.com redirect and provides help for the removal process of all suspicious and potentially undesired files from the affected system.
Search.hogwarin.com is the domain of a browser hijacker that invades computer systems and alters main browser settings. As a result you see its main page as browser start page, new tab page and its search engine as a default one. Even though it looks like a legitimate search engine, it is primarily used for the collection of sensitive data stored by the browser.
Threat Summary
| Name | Search.hogwarin.com |
| Type | Browser Hijacker, Redirect, PUP |
| Short Description | A website with questionable search enigne that suddenly starts to appear in your preferred web browser. |
| Symptoms | Your homepage, new tab page and search enigne could dislay the main page of Search.hogwarin.com hijacker. Browser slowdowns could occur due to increased number of online ads. |
| Distribution Method | Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages |
| Detection Tool |
See If Your System Has Been Affected by malware
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Malware Removal Tool
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| User Experience | Join Our Forum to Discuss Search.hogwarin.com. |
Search.hogwarin.com – Spread Techniques
The most likely reason why you keep seeing the deceptive search engine Search.hogwarin.com in your preferred web browser is a potentially unwanted program that you have unnoticeably installed on your device. Such a program could have tricked you to install it along with another desired and supposedly useful one.
Often times being hidden in the installers of free third-party applications, PUPs find their way for their configuration files to be activated on the system. However, you could easily miss their presence especially by installing new apps with the help of the regular setup process. This could be explained by the fact that compromised installers are usually designed in a way that hides the presence of any extras. Happily, in some cases, you could prevent unwanted programs from accessing your device by reviewing the Advanced/Custom configuration setup step. The information presented there may help you to catch the PUP on time and opt out its installation.
Frequently used web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, Microsofr Edge, Opera and Safari could be affected by Search.hogwarin.com hijacker.
Search.hogwarin.com – More About Its Impact
Soon after files associated with Search.hogwarin.com browser hijacker are installed on your system, you could start seeing it hoax search engine each time you open your preferred web browser. It is most likely that this hijacker has altered the settings of your browser start page, new tab page and default search engine.
Here is how the start page of a browser affected by this hijacker looks like:
All searches made through the hoax search engine of Search.hogwarin.com are redirected to Yahoo search. This technique is an attempt of hijackers’ owners to mislead you that their website deserves your trust. However, it appears that commonly used and trusted web browsers like Firefox and Chrome notify users of unsecured connection once after the hijacker loads. You could see the warning message displayed by Firefox right below:
Since this hijacker is known to obtain sensitive data from the browsers it affects, this poorly secured connection may present a serious danger to your privacy. The lack of secure connection may be easily misused by hackers who want to harvest data for their malicious activities.
As of the data collected by this hijacker, it may include a few to all of the following details:
- Visited URLs and websites
- Browser’s home page
- Search queries
- Search queries on the visited web pages
- Type of used browser
- Operating system type
- Internet protocol (IP) address
- Geographic location
- The domain name of current Internet service provider (ISP)
- Diagnostic information which describes how their Services are operating on the system
For the sake of the security of your device and data we recommend the removal of Search.hogwarin.com browser hijacker as soon as possible.
How to Remove Search.hogwarin.com Hijacker
In order to remove Search.hogwarin.com hijacker and all associated files that enable its appearance in the browser, you need to pass through several removal steps. They are all presented in the removal guide below. The guide enables you to choose between manual and automatic removal approach. Our advice is to combine the steps as this way you will be able not only to get rid of this particular undesired program but also strengthen the security of your device. Have in mind that files associated with this hijacker may have different names than Search.hogwarin.com.
In case that you have further questions or need additional help with the removal process, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us at our email.
Gergana Ivanova
Gergana has a bachelor's degree in Marketing. She has been with the STF team for five years, researching malware, reporting on the latest computer infections, and following digital marketing trends.
Follow Me:
- Guide 1: How to Remove Search.hogwarin.com from Windows.
- Guide 2: Get rid of Search.hogwarin.com from Mac OS X.
- Guide 3: Remove Search.hogwarin.com from Google Chrome.
- Guide 4: Erase Search.hogwarin.com from Mozilla Firefox.
- Guide 5: Uninstall Search.hogwarin.com from Microsoft Edge.
- Guide 6: Remove Search.hogwarin.com from Safari.
- Guide 7: Eliminate Search.hogwarin.com from Internet Explorer.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
How to Remove Search.hogwarin.com from Windows.
Step 1: Boot Your PC In Safe Mode to isolate and remove Search.hogwarin.com
Step 2: Uninstall Search.hogwarin.com and related software from Windows
Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:
Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.
Step 3: Clean any registries, created by Search.hogwarin.com on your computer.
The usually targeted registries of Windows machines are the following:
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
You can access them by opening the Windows registry editor and deleting any values, created by Search.hogwarin.com there. This can happen by following the steps underneath:
Tip: To find a virus-created value, you can right-click on it and click "Modify" to see which file it is set to run. If this is the virus file location, remove the value.
Before starting "Step 4", please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Get rid of Search.hogwarin.com from Mac OS X.
Step 1: Uninstall Search.hogwarin.com and remove related files and objects
1. Hit the ⇧+⌘+U keys to open Utilities. Another way is to click on “Go” and then click “Utilities”, like the image below shows:
- Go to Finder.
- In the search bar type the name of the app that you want to remove.
- Above the search bar change the two drop down menus to “System Files” and “Are Included” so that you can see all of the files associated with the application you want to remove. Bear in mind that some of the files may not be related to the app so be very careful which files you delete.
- If all of the files are related, hold the ⌘+A buttons to select them and then drive them to “Trash”.
In case you cannot remove Search.hogwarin.com via Step 1 above:
In case you cannot find the virus files and objects in your Applications or other places we have shown above, you can manually look for them in the Libraries of your Mac. But before doing this, please read the disclaimer below:
You can repeat the same procedure with the following other Library directories:
→ ~/Library/LaunchAgents
/Library/LaunchDaemons
Tip: ~ is there on purpose, because it leads to more LaunchAgents.
Step 2: Scan for and remove Search.hogwarin.com files from your Mac
When you are facing problems on your Mac as a result of unwanted scripts and programs such as Search.hogwarin.com, the recommended way of eliminating the threat is by using an anti-malware program. SpyHunter for Mac offers advanced security features along with other modules that will improve your Mac’s security and protect it in the future.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove Search.hogwarin.com from Google Chrome.
Step 1: Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu
Step 2: Move the cursor over "Tools" and then from the extended menu choose "Extensions"
Step 3: From the opened "Extensions" menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its "Remove" button.
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Erase Search.hogwarin.com from Mozilla Firefox.
Step 1: Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window
Step 2: Select the "Add-ons" icon from the menu.
Step 3: Select the unwanted extension and click "Remove"
Step 4: After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red "X" button at the top right corner and start it again.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Uninstall Search.hogwarin.com from Microsoft Edge.
Step 1: Start Edge browser.
Step 2: Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.
Step 3: From the drop menu select "Extensions".
Step 4: Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.
Step 5: Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Remove Search.hogwarin.com from Safari.
Step 1: Start the Safari app.
Step 2: After hovering your mouse cursor to the top of the screen, click on the Safari text to open its drop down menu.
Step 3: From the menu, click on "Preferences".
Step 4: After that, select the 'Extensions' Tab.
Step 5: Click once on the extension you want to remove.
Step 6: Click 'Uninstall'.
A pop-up window will appear asking for confirmation to uninstall the extension. Select 'Uninstall' again, and the Search.hogwarin.com will be removed.
Windows Mac OS X Google Chrome Mozilla Firefox Microsoft Edge Safari Internet Explorer
Eliminate Search.hogwarin.com from Internet Explorer.
Step 1: Start Internet Explorer.
Step 2: Click on the gear icon labeled 'Tools' to open the drop menu and select 'Manage Add-ons'
Step 3: In the 'Manage Add-ons' window.
Step 4: Select the extension you want to remove and then click 'Disable'. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click 'Disable'.
Step 5: After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red 'X' button located at the top right corner and start it again.
